BROWARD LANDS MORE CHOICES FOR COMPLEX

From Griffin Road to Miramar Parkway, landowners have lined up to pitch their properties to Broward County for a new government complex.

Within the next five or 10 years, the county plans to build a 40-acre campus of government offices to serve the exploding population of southwest Broward. The campus is likely to include a courthouse, library, auto tag office, building permit department and various other services.

The county has budgeted $5 million to buy the land, and by Friday's deadline, six property owners had submitted proposals.

The county had set a previous deadline for proposals, but after accounts of the finalists appeared in the newspaper, more property owners came forward. The county reopened the process, and the final deadline was Friday.

The county's decision brought in three more proposals, two near Weston along Griffin Road and the other in Miramar along Miramar Parkway.

While the proposals range in price from $1.2 million to $12 million, county officials said the initial price won't necessarily be the critical factor. They need to look at how much the county would have to spend preparing the land for construction by removing muck, extending roads and installing sewer and water lines.

And they are looking for what they call "synergies," which in this case means other nearby uses that would allow drivers to walk or drive a short distance from the county buildings to other destinations, such as restaurants or a city government office. That would reduce traffic on main roads, said Michael Wanchick, director of the county's Department of Strategic Planning and Growth Management.

By that standard, county officials were particularly interested in a proposal from the city of Miramar.

Miramar's proposal calls for the city to pay $11 million for 52 acres owned by Harold Dubner along Miramar Parkway, about one-quarter mile east of Interstate 75. The city would then sell a 40-acre parcel to the county for $6 million.

The city would build a new municipal complex featuring a city hall, civic center and library on the 12 acres just east of that property.

"My favorite is the one with the most potential for joint use and the lowest price," County Commission Chairwoman Lori Parrish said.

Parrish and Commissioner John Rodstrom said they like Miramar's willingness to partner with the county on the project.

They said whatever site they vote for must have easy access to major roadways, such as Interstate 75, and be as central as possible to southwest Broward residents.

"I want a site that has a good location, is reasonably priced and suits our needs," Rodstrom said.

One of the original finalists may drop out, said Earl Hahn, a senior county planner. The owners of a large parcel at Interstate 75 and Pembroke Road had submitted a proposal that would cost $10 million to 12 million, far higher than the others, and told him they may withdraw their proposal.

Once the county buys the land, construction could still be several years off. But given the surging development in that part of Broward, the county wanted to secure the land before vacant property became too scarce.

"We're buying it for the future," Hahn said. "There are some large tracts available. If you wait, as we've done in the past, then there's only one or two sites available and the price will be much higher."

Southwest Broward residents now must travel to government complexes in Plantation or Hollywood to pay a traffic ticket or renew an auto tag. County officials want to offer services to residents closer to home.

Fueling the need: a growing population.

Between 1990 and 1996, Pembroke Pines was the third fastest-growing city in the nation among cities with more than 100,000 people. From 1990 to April 1997, the city's population rose 59 percent, from 65,566 to 104,143.

During that period, the population climbed 31 percent in Cooper City and Davie and 23 percent in Miramar.

County staffers will spend the next several weeks analyzing the proposals, looking at traffic, the environmental impact, whether the properties will need sewer and water extensions and other factors.

They plan to submit a recommendation to the County Commission before the July recess, Wanchick said.

"It looks like the commission made a wise decision to reopen the process," he said. "We're getting some more creative proposals _ some of the synergies we're looking for that we didn't see too much of the first time around."